Starlight
by Everleigh Allen
Summary: Bella has a seemingly normal life but all that changes in an instant. She learns her world isn't as it seems. Written for FAGE 10 for JM Shaw as a gift. Promt: Mating Connection, M, AU
1. Chapter 1

**FAGE 10: Reborn**

 **Title: Starlight**

 **Written for: JM Shaw**

 **Written By: Everleigh Allen**

 **Beta'd: Tammy Vlcek (Thank you, kindly!) All other mistakes are mine.**

 **Rating: M**

 **Summary/Prompt used: Mating connection**

 **If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group:** **Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps, or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.**

 **A/N: The first chapter is in 1st person, all else is in 3rd. Enjoy.**

 **Starlight  
** **By: Everleigh Allen**

 ****

 **Chapter 1**

I wondered how I got here.

I was sitting within a bunch of pine needles and other forest debris, hiding inside an old mother tree that had a large scar big enough to crawl into and held my breath when I saw the glare of their flashlights, whirling around like a lighthouse flood lamp in the foggy night, searching for any kind of movement.

A man, whose face was hidden by the hood of his jacket, held tightly onto the leash of a dog that was eager to be let loose. The teeth bared for a moment as it passed my tree but its handler didn't seem to notice and he didn't seem to be alerted by my presence, or so I thought.

"Status?" A masculine voice called out within the fog and the man who was standing by my tree gave a quick once over with his light into the depths of my tree.

"Clear," He called out to the group but remained standing in his spot.

Several other voices called out the same and the shuffling of movement in the distance seemed to make their way over a new perimeter of the forest.

Overhead the call of the dragons circling but hidden within the clouds echoed over the forest floor. To everyone else it would sound like thunder, but I knew better. Their cries made me antsy, but I knew they would be safer where they were for the time being.

"Cull!" A voice yelled out in the distance. There was shift in his movement and a trudging sound for a slight moment before it stopped just outside my tree, blocking the small entrance. The dog whimpered in protest, but sat blocking the sight fully.

A shuffle of feet moved closer and then stilled as muffled voices spoke quietly.

Goosebumps flared over my whole body as I shook, not knowing what was going to happen or why this guy was trying to hide me.

Maybe he didn't know I was there?

Several minutes- or what seemed like forever- the other footsteps fled farther away and I relaxed for a moment.

I knew the one guy was still there, though, and that was still troubling.

"Ten-three," He whispered into the shoulder mic and turned his head toward the base of the tree, again laying his pack on the forest floor.

I knew enough that he was asking for the line to be cleared, to stop transmitting, and it made my skin crawl just knowing that at any moment he could come after me.

"Cull" they called him. His nickname grit at my nerves, Cull, and I wondered if he was a scrapper or did he collect?

A chill went up my spine at the latter. I would rather die than be collected.

I watched him pull out a small device, tapping at it for several moments before placing it into the pocket of his shirt that covered the ballistic vest.

My nails bit into the flaking, brittle bark as he moved closer to the tree. He'd have to drag me out of this tree fighting, which was for sure, if it came to that. I could see his hands moving around and then watched in amazement when his dog moved forward and I held my breath as it moved into the small entrance of the tree. It stopped at my feet before laying over my toes, as the pine needles bit into my skin.

"I know you're in there," The man said calmly but I remained unmoved. "Luna already alerted me of your presence. You have two choices on how you want to do this but neither helps your circumstance. Make any move to run and Luna will turn on you faster than you can blink. Stay calm and where you are and things may fare better."

There were a number of clicks which I didn't really know what he could be doing but I remained hiding, waiting.

"Answer three questions and then I will leave you here."

Licking my lips before gulping, I worried that there would be others like him out there, but I didn't have much choice other than to cooperate.

"First, are you tattooed?"

My shoulders dropped. "No." I whispered into the darkness. It was so telling and I hated it.

"Age?"

"Twenty-five."

There were several moments of silence as if he was contemplating what to do next.

"I need proof that you are not branded or tattooed."

Moving slowly, I lifted my arm up and out of the opening of the tree. The dog whimpered with the movement, not liking being jostled as I tried to maneuver enough room for my arm to reach him.

I felt a slight prickling which burned from the spot on the arm. It seemed to seep into my skin and throughout my blood and the slight stinging went straight up my spine like an adrenaline rush when you slam on the brakes.

"What did you do?" I gasped, pulling my arm back towards my chest. I tried to look at my arm but it was too dark.

"Which one is yours?"

I glared into the darkness. "I don't understand your meaning."

"I think you do. Should I flare the sky or are you going to tell me your protector?"

"Asking about something that you already know the answer to is a little redundant don't you think, _Cull_?"

All of a sudden I felt a tight grip on my arm and I was pulled out of the tree. Every stick and pine needle bit at my skin as the dog lay there waiting for the command. I couldn't see him well, but I could feel his hot breath over my skin and the cold air whipping around me, but I refused to scream. I knew the minute I did, Blitz would be blowing her cover in the clouds and all would be lost.

"My name," he hissed, "Isn't Cull… it's Cullen. It would do you well to remember it since it you will be hearing it again… soon."

A large bolt of lightning cracked overhead and he ducked and just like that, he let me go with a glare as he walked away into the trees.

But the dog remained.

His footsteps through the forest quickly disappeared and the noises of the forest soon declared all was clear.

With the help of the lightning, I looked down at the dog that sat at my feet and just let the tears fall.

"What the Hell just happened?" I asked her, but she just huffed and looked toward the way Cullen had left pleadingly but obeyed whatever command he had given her.

I could still see the others wandering around so I decided it was best to just stay there for the night and leave by sunrise since they would surely send another round of scrappers to make rounds at daybreak. I moved away from her and back into my tree but she quickly followed, even though there was barely enough room for both of us. Luna circled the small space three times before she finally lay down and fell asleep. I wasn't far behind her, petting her soft fur was soothing. I don't know if it was her or something else, but it was like a small, warm feeling suddenly washed over me and I felt my eyes grow heavier.

The last thing I heard was the caw of Blitz before exhaustion finally took its course.

Birds chirped in the trees as the soft morning light moved through the trees in long streaks of gold and pinks. The ground was sprinkled with dew, catching the rising sun and glittered like rainbow colored orbs of stars.

Everything was still quiet, though, and I just sat and watched the tree line for any kind of movement or disturbance. There hadn't been in a while, though I knew better.

I looked down at the dog that spooned my stretched out legs that just barely fit inside the tree. She remain unmoved, though her breathing changed and was a bit more coherent. Any sharp movement would easily startle Luna and I knew that that wasn't a good idea. One command from the man and the dog would no doubt obey him and not listen to me.

A band of light moved over my arm and I was instantly reminded of the small area where he had touched me and it felt like a burn.

I looked, but there wasn't anything I could tell, just a small area that seemed to shimmer in the light. I gasped when I saw it, a pearl-like orb that was made of rainbow moonstone sat on the floor next to the entrance.

I picked it up, seeing how the flash caught the beam of light and shimmered. Black flecks of tourmaline shined when the light hit just right and I couldn't help the smirk. He had come back when I had probably dozed off and left it. Again, he must have left his dog and me, though I had conflicting feelings about him being around while I was unaware.

Waking up crouched in a tree after sleeping in fetal position was not ideal, nor comfortable. But a crack of thunder woke me up in a start and I couldn't help but notice the sun would be up soon.

I maneuvered around the dog which was still dutifully guarding me and moved around trying not to wake Luna. But as soon as the warmth of my body left her she was wide awake and watching.

"Hey, Luna is it? How about we leave here, hmm?"

I didn't wait for an answer and moved out of the tree with the dog at my heels and looked up at the sky. There was an instant crack of lighting overhead and I smiled with a nod of thanks.

Then I ran.

I ran right towards where the lightning cracked and didn't stop, even though everything in me protested. My legs were burning, my chest tightening, trying to get enough of the cool, crispy morning air.

The trees waved on, their leaves fluttering in excitement as I ran by, the dog easily running right along my side.

When I came closer to my house, I stood just within the tree-line with Luna and watched it for several moments, chests heaving as we caught our breaths.

When there didn't seem to be any movement, I looked to the sky before bolting through the yard and to the back door. Fumbling for the key underneath a large potted plant, I cried out for a slight second when I smashed my fingers. I needed to find a better, easier hiding place for the key. I unlocked the door and quickly moved inside, flipping the lock and then the light, washing the room in light.

Then I saw him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bella gasped and the dog made a beeline towards the man named Cullen.

"What are you doing here?"

He silently watched her as her eyes moved around the room taking everything in.

"I'm alone," He said quietly. He then gave a hand signal and the dog sat next to him, facing her. "You know why I'm here."

Bella frowned, confusion laced her features.

"You're mistaken."

"I know what you are," he bit out. "I've been watching you for a while. I know you're not from here. That you're different."

"You're a scrapper?"

He flinched at the word, hating it. "No. I work for the government."

Scrappers were aplenty though, and they usually grabbed the powers that the person knowingly or unknowingly had and kept them for themselves. They would then keep their protectors for themselves, usually killing them, too.

"The government is watching me?"

"All of you, yes. Specifically you more than most, its seems."

His words hit her like the floor broke open and she fell into harsh, icy water.

"Tell me what you know."

She moved forward slowly but she could see his green watching her as well as Luna's dark brown.

"Don't signal." He said coldly and she stilled. "I know that you want to-"

"My time is up here." She said carefully, "I have no reason to stay."

Faster than she could even think, he had moved through the room and right up against her body. He enjoyed her sharp intake of breath and the slight way she shivered at his closeness. He knew she could feel exactly what he had been feeling when he first touched her.

It took everything in him to leave her that night, but he knew that if they found her, she would quickly be quarantined and they would most likely subject her to the same testing that the last Starlight (as they were referred) had been and he couldn't handle that.

"You have many reasons to stay," he whispered. It was then that he touched her arm, the same place as he did the night before and they both felt the slightly painful buzzing sensation.

"You marked me."

"I saved you."

"By marking me?"

He nodded.

It was then that he bared his teeth and she could see two long incisors.

"You bit me."

He chomped down, effectively closing his mouth. "It'll show up as a tattoo. I make no apologies."

She looked at the mark on her skin. It was blues and greens, though when turned under the light it gave a slight pearly iridescent look to it. It looked like a design she had seen before, though not quite the same. It was definitely a mark of a dragon, though the symbols looked Celtic.

"Once sealed, there will be two dragons intertwined."

"Sealed."

Cullen raised an eyebrow waiting for her to understand.

"Oh," she felt the flush from her feet to her face and she knew he could see it, too.

Wracking her brain she tried to remember where she had seen a similar tattoo. It was then that it all started coming back to her. "You know Alice."

"I do."

She could vaguely remember the small spritely girl with a vivid imagination. She was small with a bluish look about her, though it wasn't calming, but like glacier ice. She had a man that was close by often, but he had more of a greyish glow, though it didn't last and his colors shifted easily based on his moods.

"How?"

"She's a sister."

"Impossible." Bella scoffed.

"I'm telling the truth. She married my brother. "

Bella took a closer look at him, not seeing any array of color about him. She tried to pick up on his mood, though she couldn't seem to feel that either. When she tried to get into his head, though, he said "stop" without his mouth even moving.

" _Get out of my head_ , then." She thought.

He smirked.

"That's how you found me." She mused. "You could hear my thoughts? You are like me?"

Cullen shrugged slightly, looking uncomfortable. "It was one of the many tells I had to find you. Had you not been my mate, I wouldn't have easily found you. Luna also, if you remember, alerted your presence."

"You work for the government to find others like us and trap us, while being one of us?"

"Not exactly, but yes. It's complicated. We go after scrappers, mostly."

"Why?"

"It's the enemy you know," he sighed. "That and they took my sister."

"Alice?" Bella gasped, cupping her mouth. She had often thought that Alice was like her, from the stars, but she wasn't. She was gifted as an oracle, of course, but she was something other. "Is she okay?"

"She is now that she has been placed."

"What does that mean?" But then it dawned on her. "You came to take me."

"You have to be collected, dead, or you have to be placed. Those are your three choices. If collected, they will experiment on you, which is their intention. If dead," he shrugged again. "If you are placed, I can insure your safety. But you won't be here anymore."

"I'll be in hiding." She said, seeing it all play out in his mind. He was to take her to a small cottage that was in an unknown location in a forest. There seemed to be other cottages of various sizes. People mulling around there, collecting flowers, tending a garden, painting and all seemingly like her- though some were not.

"How is this even a possibility?"

"Magic." He smirked. He then waved a hand and bits of sparkling lights followed.

She was very familiar with magic, having been gifted with some aspects of the talent herself. Not really as grandiose as hiding an entire village, though.

"I can't go with you," She finally said though her brown eyes betrayed her. She was scared and she loved her home and the lot of land behind her house. She enjoyed the trees and how they seemed to greet her, talk to her.

"You can have all this there."

"Hide me here." She whispered.

"They know-" He bit out. "Everything about you. If you don't go, they will take you. I can't let that happen! I saw-"

All the sudden flashes of memories witnessed from someone else's mind was projected into hers and she could see her lying on a table, motionless, tubes running all over her as various substances were being injected into her. She watched in horror as one substance, something green, was injected by a man in a doctor's coat that had slipped into the room. There was a woman with lush red hair lying on the table close to Bella and once he injected Bella, he went to her and started to unhook her tubing's and placing them into Bella. Bella's body shook, like she was having a seizure, but the man didn't seem to care. He took the woman's limp body onto a gurney and wheeled her out of the room, unnoticed.

Bella then could hear the machines as they showed her heart beating rapidly for several minutes until it stopped. The machine showed a thin line and a high pitched ring.

"I die."

"You're killed, yes."

"And the woman if I am not caught?"

Edward sighed. "I don't know. It only shows what would happen if you're there. I would assume her mate would do everything in his power to save her, still. Though I can't risk it-"

He slipped.

"You can't risk it?"

His eyes were large and had she been able to read his facial expressions better, she would have seen the pleading look about him.

"No," He says. "I won't risk your safety."

"Why?" She whispered. Her hair fell halfway over her face like a shield. "Why me?"

His fingers lightly touched the part of her arm which stung the night before when he touched her.

"What-" _are you_? She finished in her mind. But had she realized what was coming next, she may have never asked.

All of a sudden, before her eyes, he shifted right in front of her. Scales, almost like it had been tattooed into him, appeared all over his skin in white pearly iridescent shimmers. It was like a slight rainbow effect, like a mist in the sunshine and she couldn't help the impressed gasp. She looked at him, his hair a slight reddish Mohawk that went from the top of his head and moved down his back, while beautifully cautious green and gold eyes watched, waiting for her reaction. She could see a sliver of his pupil that matched the sharp shape of his teeth.

"Dragon," She whispered, and then looked at Luna who was completely unimpressed. She sat there bored and waiting command. She was obviously used to her person in this form.

She turned her head and looked out the window, seeing the slight shimmer of blue light that showed where her protector was watching.

"You're my new protector?"

"No." He hissed, though it was mostly due to his draconian voice. He took a step closer, hating the way his clothes fit him in this form. He was lucky that he could manage the size element of his change, though his brother, Emmett, was not as fortunate.

Everything in him was demanding for him to grab her and claim her, but he rejected the notion, shaking instead.

"Change back." She demanded and he instantly did with a simple thought and motion of his hand.

"You wish to claim me as yours. I heard." Her mouth pinched. "We haven't even been on a date, let alone do I know your first name."

"Edward. Edward Cullen." Edward laughed. "Rest and shower and pack, I'll be back for you at eight tonight. We won't be coming back."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bella sat at the edge of her bed as a single tear fell.

She was never one to have been overly sentimental, but the idea of leaving the only home she ever knew, and the last place she saw the man she would call her father before he died-

She allowed herself a few moments to reminisce about her childhood, though she didn't know much about it. She was told that she was found close by and brought here to her an older man named Charlie. He used to be a cop, so he could easily protect her.

There wasn't much to know of her mother, other than she had left a note in a language that no one could decipher, no matter to whom Charlie showed it. Little did Charlie know, but when Charlie took his "little beauty" as he called her, to the town's doctor and showed him and the doctor's wife the note that note. It was the reason they knew of the little baby girl and they had been watching her ever since.

The day Charlie died, Bella had run into the forest in tears and didn't know where to turn. She ran until she reached a small lake where a man was fishing. He was young and smiling, whipping the pole around like he was fly fishing. Bella watched as the fly hit the water but there was no disturbance in the water.

She gasped and he turned to her with the same smile and though his appearance had changed, there was still many aspects of the same man who had raised her.

"Hi, Little Beauty," He said, but it was in her head, his mouth didn't move. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me."

She smiled through tears.

"I didn't ever think I was lonely or missing anything. I was content in the life of service I had. I never fell in love or anything to want to start a family, just wanted to protect. I never knew love until I met you. I never knew happiness until I saw you smile. I never knew family until you joined mine. I never believed in God- in the heavens until I saw how special you are and I have spent my entire adult life making it a normal, happy life for you, just in case you never had to find out the truth.

I think I've done my job."

His face faltered a bit, the smile waning, his eyes aging before her and growing wary.

"You'll have a new protector coming."

"Who?" Bella asked in her mind. His smile fell.

"It's not for me to know, no matter how much I want to."

"Why do I need a protector?" She said out loud with a scoff. "I've had you as a father. You've taught me more about self-defense and protection than any class could."

"You're different and so will he be different." He spoke in her head. "All I know is you're not from anywhere I have ever seen before. With me gone, they will come for you. Please, just get away as fast as you can. You never know who they really are until they show you. Don't wait to find out. He will find you and he will be alone. That's all I can say."

The memory faded just like her father did several moments later and she had never felt more alone.

She dived into finding anything she could on the note her mother left and even went to the doctor her father had taken her to all those years back. But she found nothing.

It wasn't until she met Alice did the other world crack open and hint that there was more to this life than what others could see.

It was then that she realized she was truly different and how sometimes people aren't what they seem.

She dove into ancient texts that were given to her by Alice and pictures that she would look at and "just feel" which was a fun game they often played.

Bella learned that her father was human, of course, as was she, really, but they had gifts that everyone could seemingly have if they only tapped into them- knowing how to see, how to read the signs, and the symbols that others seemed to ignore.

Alice had taught her all of it, making her remember and then she was gone.

It was as if she never existed.

Then there was Blitz.

Blitz was nothing more than energy or weathers to unseeing eyes, but a fierce protector. She was often seen as a cloud, a rainbow, or even a thunderous cloud. Bella had seen her as first as lightning, but only once and that was enough.

She had been alone, reading too long in a local bookstore and made the mistake of reading while walking. Bella didn't seem to notice men following her nor did she notice there were four of them coming at her in four directions.

Rain clouds shook with thunderous rage when the one guy grabbed her by her ponytail, pulling her straight to the ground. Another guy instantly kicked her, laughing as Bella recoiled, disoriented and in pain. Then, if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes she wouldn't have believed it, but lightning struck the man who kicked her and she could have sworn it looked like a dragon.

The others ran, of course, perhaps to get help for their friend, she never found out. She ran, forgetting her book in the alley. She ran, the clouds following her the whole way, and no matter how often she looked at the clouds, she could see the same dragon like shape within them.

Bella called her Blitz because she blitzed the shit out of the guy that harmed her.

The next morning, the book appeared in her mailbox with a note in beautiful handwriting saying, "Be safe."

Bella could bet that note had been from Edward, but she couldn't be sure.

At eight o'clock on the dot, Bella was answering the door in a light purple dress that fared well with her brown hair and eyes. She wore simple kitten heels so that she could better keep her balance and her hair in a simple bun since she never could wear her hair in a ponytail after that day in the alley.

"You look beautiful," He said with a small smile.

"You do, too." She said nervously, berating herself. "I mean, less bulky without all the armor."

His grin fell, though still bemused.

"This is my first date." She huffed.

"I couldn't tell." He laughed. "Should we go?"

Bella nodded, looking to the sky, though curiously there didn't seem to be any clouds in sight.

"They know you're safe with me." He whispered. He then touched a finger over the mark he had made earlier that day.

It seemed so long ago.

Shivers covered her body and made her shake. He grinned with amusement on the effect he seemingly had on her.

She waited until he was in and the car door was shut before she asked what had been on her mind since he said it.

"You said mate," She said, except it was as eloquent as it was formed in her mind. "Is this what that means? You marked me as your mate?"

"Yes and no," He sighed, clutching the steering wheel. "I could mark you because you are my mate. There have been some that do try to mark someone to hide them from their other, and that is why I asked to check. When I saw that it wasn't there, I made sure mine was there.

"By biting me."

He grinned wider. "That was a personal thing, yet effective."

"Meaning?"

"I may have been a little hungry."

"Excuse me?"

He full out laughed, thoroughly entertaining himself. "I wanted to suck your blood." He said joyously in his best Dracula voice.

"But you're a dragon, not a vampire!" She yelled.

He shrugged.

"Let's just say that you've been claimed in one way, until I can manage to claim you in other ways." He winked.

Bella gawked.

"That won't be anytime soon." She muttered.

"That's what you think." He retorted. "Wait until my venom starts mixing in with your blood."

There was nothing she could think to say though her mind was racing.

 _Wait until my venom starts mixing with your blood._

 _Wait until my venom starts mixing with your blood._

 _Wait until my venom starts mixing with your blood._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Edward and Bella sat on opposite sides of the table with their plates full of pasta that both were just picking at. They stole slight smiles, the conversation mostly in mind, though they didn't seem to notice.

"Tell me where Alice is, please." Bella said before placing a fork full of noodles that were twisted carefully around the tines.

"She's with Jasper." He smirked, eating his own fork full of fettuccini.

"Not enough information." She countered.

"It's hard to say because they travel often."

"But she's okay."

"She is now, yes."

"What does that mean?"

It wasn't how Edward wanting their dinner conversation to go, he had wanted her to ask more questions about him and he would in turn get to ask about her.

He should have known better.

"Jasper found her, luckily, before it was too late."

"Where was she? What happened?"

"She was scrapped."

"I hate that word."

Edward shrugged. "It is effective. It is what they do and it creates a sense of fear which is warranted. She was found quite by accident, at a picnic. No one really even knew she was missing for several hours. She was taken quickly, most likely with a threat of violence. I won't get into it here, but she was found in a psychiatric ward where she sat in darkness for many weeks, if not months and that did have an adverse effect on her. Luckily, she has been getting better. Her sight is still minimal, not that it matters. She can see fine in her head."

He gave a dark chuckle. It was obviously a joke she didn't understand.

"Jasper has helped a lot. He has a soothing way about him- to her- and they work well together. He does tend to have a bit of a temper, though. He doesn't usually let anyone get too close, if at all. I've seen him shred people to nothing. Not a fun sight to see."

"Is he like you?"

"Similar, not the same. Emmett and Carlisle are the same."

"Carlisle?"

"My father, Carlisle Cullen."

Bella gasped. "I know that name."

"I know you do."

"You knew about me since I was a baby because of your family."

"We've kept watch here longer than we care to say- ensuring your safety. I, on the other hand, was not allowed to stay. I could have been a threat-"

He didn't continue his thought. It just stopped like a door was shut on it.

"What is Jasper?"

"He is more of a bug-type species of sorts." Edward winked, thankful for the slight change in topic. "He has some creepy ways about him, for sure. I think because people don't take well to bugs that they unknowingly avoid him. He's pretty repellant, even on his good days.

Bella scoffed, trying to imagine her friend's face when he turned into a giant praying mantis. She giggled watching the Alice in her mind ripping his head off after they were intimate.

"Gross." Edward chuckled, amused.

"What other types are there?"

"Oh, they are endless… almost anything you can imagine has a humanoid outside and other stuff on the inside, just like you."

"Just like me?"

"You know you're from the stars?"

"I have been told."

He gave a Cheshire grin. "One of the most prized and sought after."

"Lovely." Bella frowned. "What's my inside goo? You didn't say."

"Light."

"How anti-climactic." She took another bite.

"Not when you glow and there are some that are in the dark. What would those who are in the dark want most?"

"Light. I get it."

"You're an energy source to some, but to some others you are more. They think by consuming you they would evolve their kind into something else."

"Would they?"

Edward shrugged. "Though they have tried, they haven't found one yet that facilitated that."

"Are you talking about having a soul?"

Edward paled. She was quicker than he had thought. "In some aspects, yes."

Bella couldn't decide if she was disgusted or if she was disturbed, but it felt like both.

"Why me?"

"You don't see yourself clearly, do you?"

She remained quiet.

"You're the game changer." He whispered.

"What does that mean?" She seriously didn't know.

"You are the healer, the shield, the light… and even though everyone is in some way or another, you came here right from the stars, where others were born with it. You are the light personified."

"Like Jesus?"

Edward laughed, clapping his hands. Her naiveté was amusing. "No, not like Jesus, the Son of God. No. Not like him. You're so amusing."

"Then like what?"

Edward looked around the room until his eyes landed on the fireplace.

"Look at that fire. In your mind, tell the fire to grow, but not too much to overtake the room."

Bella concentrated and told the fire to grow as directed and watched as it did.

"That is just a bit of what you can do." Edward cupped his hand over hers. "Can you warm my hand?"

Bella did the same thing, said "warm" in her head and instantly felt the energy moving through her and out her hand.

"A natural." He sighed, relishing in her warmth.

"So I am a star."

Edward shrugged. "You are of that energy dynamic, yes. You control your own energy, amplifying it and the like at will. A force to be reckoned with, I'd say. A shield, when needed and more, I am sure. Hopefully it doesn't get into the wrong hands. That's where I come in."

"So the intense warmth I'm feeling?"

"Easy. You didn't turn it off."

"Oh!" She withdrew her hand from his and he instantly felt cold. He grabbed her hand back into his, feeling the instant warmth again.

"You don't have to remove your hand; you just control its intensity with your mind."

"You're so cold."

Edward scoffed. "Part dragon will do that. Cold blooded."

"I guess." Bella smiled. "So our kids?"

She didn't have to finish the words before Edward's nostrils flared and he began to slowly turn to look out the door.

Several moments later a man entered the restaurant with a woman on his arm. But Edward knew better. She was nothing more than an optical illusion. The man was alone and only Edward could see his true form.

"It's time to go." Edward said. He pulled out his wallet from his jacket pocket and placed a large bill on the table that was enough to pay for their meal and a decent tip.

He rose and took Bella's hand. She quietly obeyed, though she was curious to find out what Edward had seen in the couple that set him on edge.

The man was short with black shoulder length hair that curled at the end. He looked unassuming to her and definitely not the kind of guy Edward would be worried about.

"Look again." He said in his head as they moved through the room and touched the marking on her arm with a swipe of the finger.

Bella looked again; even though it was a mere few second glance it was enough. The man wasn't a man at all, but some kind of alien. His skin looked like it had been burned and charred at one point in his life. Half of his face was missing, it seemed.

"Sad."

Edward sneered. "You get burned when you play with the light."

They moved through the back door of the restaurant and didn't go to the car. In a moment that felt like a dream, Bella was in the sky and flying, Edward, in all his glory, donned wings and muscular limbs tipped in razor sharp claws.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"I don't know how they found us!" Edward yelled in the phone. He was pacing back and forth while watching Bella sleep on the couch with Luna asleep at her feet.

When they had reached a high altitude, Bella fainted and had been asleep ever since.

He was starting to worry that she hadn't had enough oxygen to the brain in such high altitudes though his father disagreed. He felt that Bella had been through so much in the past two days that her body was finally getting the rest it needed to assimilate- not to mention the added bite, tattoo and venom injection.

"Why didn't you just pee on her?" Rosalie sneered looking at the small woman lying over their couch. "It would have been just as effective."

Edward bared his teeth at the blonde woman he was forced to call his sister. She was actually his brother's mate though when she was found she was dire. She had been one of the unlucky ones that wound up in the Royce and they hadn't been kind in their scrapping.

"Whoa!" Emmett grinned. "Someone didn't consummate the pairing, I see."

Edward ignored them. For a slight second, though, he did wonder if peeing would have been effective after all. But he then realized she was being facetious.

Carlisle walked over and started doing Bella's vitals again. It was mostly because he was bored and he hadn't seen her in years. He often wondered how she faired with only Charlie with her, but Charlie turned out to be a perfect placement for Renee's baby. Charlie was a cop and well respected therefore Bella was seen as "off-limits" and he was gentle and kind but mostly because he didn't notice much. He paid no mind to the thunderous dragon above her home, or the way she glowed. He just thought she was naturally beautiful.

He also didn't know that her playmates were often fairies, though Bella had long forgotten them, Carlisle knew they still visited. He could see them buzzing around just outside the window.

He couldn't wait for her to wake up and see the world that had been long shut off from her to insure her safety. But now she could see it and love it and watch the memories come back.

"She is getting a fever, Edward." Esme said quietly, wrapping her arm around her son. "You've done so well with her so far, but the time has come to take her home."

Edward balked.

"Her new home," Esme giggled. "Of course you would think her old home but you know that is now gone."

It was true. When they got away from the restaurant they went to Bella's home trying to search for her or any way of finding her. They didn't even see the clouds roll in, or the lightning in the sky. One strike of lightning from Blitz and the house was in flames, the scrappers stuck screaming inside. Edward could have sworn he heard the rolling of laughter from the sky.

Everyone watched silently as Edward moved through the room and picked Bella up in his arms. He was as gentle as he could be, unlike when he shifted into a dragon and bound into the sky in his other form. He hoped she didn't notice that he almost dropped her a few times.

The house that he had built for them wasn't far, but he had paid attention to the rooms of the house she'd had growing up. Their house was stone and within the trees. One wall was large windows that you could easily and quickly cover by remote. There was a large greenhouse that spanned two stories, much larger than the one she had in her home. The windows were replicated easily, too, so he knew she would enjoy that. The idea was to feel at home and although they couldn't save everything inside of it, they did their best to get what they could while she was sleeping in the tree.

He hated leaving her there, but he knew she would be safe, especially after he checked on her and made it so the tree, she, and his beloved dog seemed nothing more than a misty illusion. He also felt better that the weather suited them in hindering the search, as well as having a close protector. He absently wondered if he could see the dragon energy, but he definitely felt it. Perhaps someday.

Edward quickly adjusted Bella to open the door of their house and slipped inside without waking her. He laid her on the bed in his room and moved back through the house and into the kitchen where he pulled out some stock and veggies for soup.

He hummed as he dropped the cut carrots and potatoes in the pot of simmering soup. He didn't know much what she liked, but you can't go wrong with soup. Plus it would also help her recover from the shock she was clearly under. He pulled out the bread and buttered it, and started cooking some grilled cheese sandwiches to dip into the soup if she wanted. It gave him a sense of joy doing these things for her, since he suspected she was still apprehensive from the encounter on the first night.

He felt bad about it, of course, but he couldn't blow cover and risk anything, especially not her safety. It was going to be bad enough that she would've gone missing and now he will be missing as well since he decided he wasn't going to go back either. There is and would always be other guys posing as he did since it was an effective way of finding their mates who were on their watch list. Getting to said mate was harder than it looked and for Edward, he was lucky he had Alice as a guide to help.

 _Perhaps she'd be interested in helping others, as well._ Edward thought.

Edward did plant his car and their items inside before it went off the cliff- burning everything within it. He hoped it would suffice that they were killed in an accident and it would end at that.

There would be no one to mourn Bella, after all, with the exception of a few classmates or those she worked with at her job.

But Bella preferred to be by herself in her own space and that provided useful when planning her impromptu death.

Edward chuckled.

"What's so funny about me being dead?"

He turned towards her with a start as she pointed to her temple. "Yeah, kinda hard to sleep with all that chattering you're doing in your head."

"Sorry."

"So I am dead then?" Bella wandered around the kitchen island to peek into the pot and hummed in gratitude at the smell.

"Yes. Hungry?"

"I am starving. I feel like I haven't eaten in days."

"That's the venom, sorry."

"That's so weird to hear, you know? Sorry not sorry I bit you and made you venomous but I'm your mate and so you have to deal. Sandwich?"

"That's basically it. I am so glad to not have to explain it over and over in each detail."

"Yes you do. In detail. Start with the venomous part."

"You can also bite people and inject venom- after the coupling, of course."

"Oh, yes. That… talk about that too." Bella flushed. She had felt some intense feelings in her dream state and fully expected to wake up with him over her, but when she opened her eyes he wasn't there. She couldn't help the disappointment. She always felt invisible to other boys as a teenager and even more so when she was an adult. Edward was the first to show any interest in her body and she loved when she caught his eyes on her.

Edward swallowed, paying close attention to her thoughts. He was glad she found him attractive and wanting his attentions.

"When you're ready, I don't know when, we'll have to engage in the coupling aspect of our union. It's a little more complicated, as you can imagine, because we'll be forever linked together, like the two threads of fate intertwined to make one string. One of us goes, both of us go- it's not ideal, though most of us doesn't want to live without our mate and we'd do anything to save each other.

Bella's mind instantly went back to the red headed woman and the man trying to save her, risking Bella instead. "You would have died when I died, then?"

Edward shrugged. "I am unsure and wasn't about to find out. That's why we took you when we did. I found out they were going to raid the night you ran into the forest. Most don't run, they try to fight."

"My father told me to run and hide or I would have stayed to fight."

"It's in your nature to fight." Edward whispered. "They were betting on it. You running had them scrambling to find you. I knew where you would hide. I put that cut out into that tree."

Bella gasped. "You didn't!"

Edward nodded. "I have been working on it for months, digging it out and burning it inside so that it wouldn't completely ruin the tree. You were the only one- besides me and Luna- to be able to see it in the first place. It was enchanted."

"So you're not quite the bad guy I thought you were." She smirked.

Edward moved so fast she barely saw him move until he was right there with his hard, muscular body lined up against hers. "Oh, I could be bad," He whispered in her ear, enjoying the reaction she gave him. He wrapped his finger around a lock of her hair and gave it a little pull, loving how she moved closer, her head tilting backward and opened her mouth for his kiss.

But he didn't kiss her.

He released her hair and stepped back with a shiver.

"What was that?" She balked. It felt like a bucket of ice water covered her instantly.

"I want you to come to me." He said simply.

Her mouth popped open with an "oh," gasp which made him smile. "What if that never happens?"

Edward shrugged. "Then it never happens. You may want to try that and see where it gets you, but I think the venom will have other ideas."

"What does that even mean?"

He grabbed up her arm and touched the spot of the lone dragon. She shivered then warmed. "Feel that?" She nodded. "Me too. That's me already in your blood." He touched it again and it sent a cool chill down her back. "That's me all around you, like the wind on your skin… and under your skin." He chuckled darkly at his joke. "But this…" He rubbed a circle over the dragon's head. "Is me in your head and you in mine." He said without speaking. He touched his tattoo on her again, but circled all the way around it. She felt her heart start to race, her breathing hitch as her body started to react as if it was being touched. "This is me when I am within you, consuming you."

He then took a step back and her whole entire body reacted in protest.

"First we eat," he held two plates of soup and sandwiches which he must have made when she was recovering from his non-touch touches. "Then we link."

"I may kill you if you do that again."

"I may enjoy you trying."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bella tried to eat her soup petulantly, but she simply couldn't. It was that good, or she was that hungry. "Where's Luna? I couldn't help but notice you named her after the moon with me being star." She smiled then sipped.

Edward grinned back at her. "I thought it would be fitting." He then pointed behind him towards a fireplace to show where the dog was sleeping. Bella noticed there were several fireplaces around the house and commented as such.

"It's to keep it warmer in the winter. Outsiders rarely see the smoke of a couple fireplaces. The see it as a campfire, if anything."

"What if they come across the houses?"

"They would have to track far to get here. It is enchanted and they would walk miles in circles first, then if they could still see it, it would only look like ruins to them the closer they got. We did have a few hikers throughout the years, but most just hang out or camp, completely unaware. We also have been known to make it seem haunted if they get too comfortable. That usually makes them leave quickly."

"I can imagine."

"Also, Emmett can shapeshift. He makes an excellent bear."

Bella took Edward's word on it since she hadn't really met the man. She vaguely recalled hearing his name but she was too sleepy to really pay any mind.

"Can you shapeshift?"

Edward patted his lips with his napkin. "I can."

"You going to show me or tell me?"

"You want to see?"

"Kind of, yeah. I can't be mated to a mouse or rat, so I would need to make sure." She gave a curt nod.

"Okay. Well, first you should know that I can shift into anything." Edward said. "I'm the kind of man that once I learn to do something, I practice endlessly to perfect it. I have about 300 species under my belt. The only troublesome ones are those under water as I cannot hold my breath long enough to maintain the form."

"Makes sense."

"I bet you could shift too." He grinned. "Maybe someday I will teach you. Emmett taught Rose, though she grew bored of it once she learned how to be a bear. It took her a year, but they go off into the forest at times and… well, you know-"

"Oh." Bella's eyes widened.

"And hibernate." Edward laughed out loud with his head tilted back. "What did you think I was going to say?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing wrong with doing what bears do, I guess. I just don't pay any attention to them. They have a need to keep things interesting, while I am not into furries." He winked.

Bella winced. "On that note." She stood up and grabbed her plate and his, carefully balancing the bowl on them. She placed them in the sink and then turned on the water to rinse them before placing them into the dishwasher. Edward came in to help.

"I have a surprise for you." Edward whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's important to me that you try to not read too much into the amount of stalking that was needed to make it perfect, but just enjoy the moment for what it is."

"Okay?"

He led her towards the back of the house and into their bedroom, which she had already seen. He then moved to a bookcase which had many of the books that were in her house, she ignored that, too. Edward pulled at the shelf and Bella watched the whole bookcase open like a door. Inside was pure magic.

"Edward!" She gasped.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes. So much," Bella looked around and saw a huge, two story greenhouse made to match the one she had at home, except one part of the windows had a beautiful stained glass rendering of two dragons that were intertwined, male and female, their tails formed a Celtic trinity knot. The male one looked very much like the tattoo on her arm.

He did another circle around his dragon over her skin and enjoyed the way she reacted to the motion. "I'm so glad. This is my chosen mark. When we come together and unite, we both will have that," he pointed to the stained glass dragons, "on us. Mine will cover my whole back, of course."

"Can we do that now? In here?" She asked suddenly, not really knowing what she was asking for but wanting to try. She had often heard people talk about their interactions and sex life and she was way over the age of wanting to have that for herself.

Edward nodded before tilting his head to the side and cupping her cheek. He was gentle with his kiss at first but then it became needier and his tongue pushed through her lips and into her mouth.

Bella cupped her hands over his cheeks before moving them into his hair, pulling slightly at the longer strands. He growled at her and it did funny things to her body. Slowly, remembering his words from before, she moved her hands to his shirt and started to unbutton the buttons. Edward was less patient, and pulled the shirt off, ripping it easily and scattering the remaining buttons throughout the green house floor.

She giggled as best she could with his mouth attached to hers and moved to take her own shirt off, but Edward saw her and pulled back to watch.

"Really?" Bella shook her head with a smile as Edward nodded. He had waited a long time for this and didn't want to miss it.

She pulled the shirt off her body and finally exposed herself to him. She wanted to shrink and cover herself, but she stood there despite every nerve in her body telling her to hide. She then, in a brazen move, pulled down her pants and underwear.

Edward's breath hitched before he followed suit. Both of them standing and staring at each other.

"Don't, you know, change mid-sex into a dragon or whatever. Stay human."

Edward laughed but nodded. "Of course."

"Okay, so how do we do the thing?"

"The thing?"

"The sex. I mean, I've seen sex online and all, but I mean with you. You said it was more complicated?"

"I am not a monster, Bella. Our consummation just binds us and our bodies will do that naturally without us needing to do anything but unite. Unless we don't unite, which is your choice, as well. The venom will then do it's thing and wreck havoc on your system. It's a more uncomfortable way to go about it, but it's been known to happen. I am fine either way. I can fuck you and I can make love to you, or we can wait on the venom. No doubt you are feeling it already. I can feel it coursing through your blood. But you are the one in control here."

"I am?" She grinned wickedly.

Edward nodded, curiosity lacing his brows.

"Lay down." She said in her head. "I want to try something."

He laid down as she asked without a word and watched as she straddled over him. She lined herself up to him and tried to push down on him.

"You're not ready," Edward smiled. Can I have some control and we can come back to this later?"

"Sure."

In an instant, Bella was in his arms and he was rushing back into their bedroom. He was so fast she barely could see the door close and lock behind them before he toppled her on the bed.

"Sorry." He grinned, but he wasn't. He moved down her body with light kisses and soft caresses, kneading her body in some places while giving soft kisses and tickles to others. He stopped when he reached her thighs, massaging them until she spread her legs for him. He kissed her and watched in amusement as her body jolted as she gasped. Then he continued his musings by giving soft licks and love bits to her clit. She moved and moaned, grasping his hair within her hands and pulling at his hair, spurring him on.

"More." She gasped and he obliged, sticking his fingers inside her, messaging her easily yet quick. Bella could feel the heat licking her skin when he suddenly added another finger and quickened his pace.

But then he moved the fingers from within, scissoring as he pushed in and out, her clit in between his teeth.

"Oh!" She gasped feeling the heat flood her body as she convulsed. He didn't give her a second to recover before he was sheathed within her in one motion. She cried out, her body recoiled as his mouth that was just pleasing her, was at her neck and then he bit her.

Bella screamed at the intensity, not the pain, though it was there as well. She could feel him taking her blood within him as he pumped himself in her body.

It was too much, yet not enough and she clawed at his back while her body convulsed in another penetrating orgasm.

Edward couldn't help but love the fragrant taste of her blood and he took it greedily, needing as much of it as possible and to switch it with his venom. He would deal with the consequences, if any, later, but for now, his mind was on one thing and that was taking her in every possible way.

In a moment of ecstasy Edward detached from her neck to allow his body to thrust deeper and harder. It was unrelenting because he had waited for her for so long. He knew that he could have been hurting her but a slight look at her face showed little annoyance or pain. She was floating, hands clenched and riding it out, just like he was.

"Bella!" He choked out, coming in thick spurts deep inside her. It seemed to last a while and not long enough at the same time. He bit her again, this time injecting her with his essence and his venom.

The last few thrusts had made Bella's body feel like heated mush. She was feeling the heat lick like flames over her skin and she couldn't help but love it. She throbbed in all the right places, and as he made quick work, fluttering around her body and sealing any wounds his teeth created, she just rode the last waves of her orgasm.

"That was-" Bella sighed.

"Just the first time." Edward finished with a smirk. "Ready for round two?"

"Give me a few minutes," But it was only a few seconds later that her body started to react to the venom and burn. She felt the burning on her arm again and she looked to see another dragon forming into the tattoo. Her arms flared up and she twisted Edward to look at his back, watching in amazement as their tattoo fully formed over the span of his back. It was beautiful; with the same pearlescent ink that hers seemed to have- except it wasn't ink.

"You're mine now." He said simply, watching for her reaction. When she nodded he smiled, relieved.

"And you're mine." She whispered in reply.

"Mind, body, soul." His finger traced the trinity symbol and ended it with a heart. "Heart."

"Let's rest and then we can do round two." Bella said as she yawned.

Edward nodded, tucking her in before he settled himself.

It was just the start of their life together and if Alice was right in what she saw of Bella, now claimed and even more powerful, they would take over everything and shut down all of the scrappers and those who were worse.

She would take great pride in that, too.

"But not today." She mumbled, seeing the same dream-like projections Alice had shown him.

"Not today, nor this week." He chuckled.

"Yes, my next week is open."

"Ah, my Bella." Edward sighed, pulling her sweaty hair out of her face. "They aren't even going to know what hit them."

It was then a new vision started forming in his head. Bella with a full belly watching inside her greenhouse as three little children ran around. They were shifting into different animals trying to best one another before their mom stopped their fun. Their dad was participating, of course.

"Beautiful dream," Bella whispered. "But I better not lay an dragon egg."

"You're funny." Edward chuckled darkly and laid there and watched that vision play out until they both fell asleep.

A/N: (There will be no dragon egg babies, obviously. ;) This story written for JM Shaw, whom I consider my sister, so it was even more fun to create something that may bring her joy. She's a beautiful soul and kindred spirit so I hope I did her justice in creating a world of something that she may cherish in a fandom world that have brought us and so many others together and have loved for years. You make this fandom, just by being a part of it, so thank you for reading. Blessings!


End file.
